The Mythic City | New York
Brooklyn-born photographer Samuel H. Gottscho, the artist who captured some of the most iconic skyscapes of Depression-era New York City, gets his first exhibit in 50 years with The Mythic City, through February 20 at the Museum of the City of New York. Some 130 images record in gorgeous chiaroscuro the construction of landmarks that went up during the interwar years, including Rockefeller Center, the George Washington Bridge and an electrified Times Square. Curator Donald Albrecht's accompanying catalog is available from Princeton Architectural Press (1220 Fifth Ave.; 212/534-1672, mcny.org).

Joël Robuchon at the Mansion | Las Vegas
With star chefs jockeying for position in America's newest culinary capital, the MGM Grand has upped the ante with Joël Robuchon at the Mansion, a showplace for the food of the legendary three-star Michelin chef. Pierre-Yves Rochon (of Paris's George V fame) designed the hushed and intimate 54-seat space in luxurious purple and black, with a shimmering Swarovski chandelier. Splurge on one of the tasting menus (5 courses, $135; 16 courses, $295), in which each dish (such as sea bass with lemongrass foam and baby leeks) is more intensely flavored—and beautifully plated—than the last (3799 Las Vegas Blvd. South; 702/891-7925).

Sense of the City | Montreal
As visitors step inside the first of six galleries at the Canadian Centre for Architecture's Sense of the City show (through September 10), they come face to face with an image of a giant black rat—and are put on notice that this is no staid architectural exhibit. Curator Mirko Zardini has assembled drawings, photographs, models—even smells—that celebrate maligned aspects of urban living and the innovative, often beautiful ways that architects and designers have overcome them. To wit: the indoor biofilter (left), a wall of air-purifying ferns and mosses at the University of Guelph-Humber in Ontario (1920, rue Baile; 514/939-7000, cca.qc.ca).

Hotel Básico | Playa del Carmen, Mexico
R&R—recycling and relaxation—are the watchwords of the 15-room Hotel Básico in this trendy stretch of Quintana Roo on the Yucatán Peninsula. Partners Moises and Rafael Micha and Carlos Couturier made resourceful use of discarded materials (two rooftop pools are fashioned from old steel tanks; beautiful floor tiles were salvage from a factory) while ensuring chic comfort. Sliding glass doors overlooking the ocean and open-plan bathrooms keep the lines between indoors and out blissfully blurred. Rooms from $150 (5ta. Avenida y calle 10 Norte; 52+984/879-4448, hotelbasico.com).

Placewares | Gualala, CA
Lu and Maynard Lyndon opened their first Placewares store outside Boston in 1978 and pioneered a storage-solution trend that has since become a national obsession. This past summer the couple moved cross-country and opened an expanded, improved Placewares near the Sea Ranch, 100 miles north of San Francisco. The Lyndons' whimsical shelving, ingenious home-office furniture and sleek accessories make the tiny coastal town of Gualala a worthy homewares destination (39114 Ocean Dr. at Cypress Village; 707/884-1184, placewares.com).

Vessel in Person | Boston
Cutting-edge designers Stéfane Barbeau and Duane Smith (the team who invented andela rechargeable candles) have opened Vessel in Person, a new store attached to their studio on the Big-Dig/Chinatown border. Inside the splashy orange, brown and white space customers can glimpse behind-the-scenes development of new items and buy Vessel's entire line (as well as products from And Bob's Your Uncle, Gus Modern and Cereal Art). Barbeau and Smith also host product-launch events and design exhibitions, making their storefront a hub of local design energy (125 Kingston St.; 617/292-0982, vesselinc.com).

Brown's Hotel | London
Brown's Hotel has been a posh Mayfair institution for 169 years—long enough that the buildings were in need of serious renovation. New owner Sir Rocco Forte invested $33 million and placed his sister, Olga Polizzi, at the helm of a thoroughly refreshing redesign—original wood paneling and antiques blend with contemporary furniture and 21st-century amenities. Traditionalists will be relieved to hear the famous tea room remains. Rooms from $525 (Albemarle Street; 44+207/493-6020, brownshotel.com).